I realized at the end of July that I had been having a lot of mountain dreams;
I was planting flags on mountains, exploring mountaintops and saw myself skipping over the mountains.
I was in meetings at the time, so I never really stopped to realize that I was actually traveling through the mountains.
So of course, my word this month has do with mountains.
In one dream I heard the Lord say, "It's time to go up to the mountain."
Then in another I heard, "It's time to take the mountains.
It's time to go up and conquer!"
Mountains can mean different things in the Scriptures, but generally we associate mountains with worship and prayer.
Remember the woman at the well in John 4?
She asked Jesus where He thought men should go to worship.
Jesus told her that it wasn't the place that we worship, but it's who we worship.
It's Time to Go Up the Mountain!
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So, who is it that we worship and pray to?
It's time to take a good look at His face.
As with the woman at the well, Jesus is constantly going for our hearts.
When she finally saw His face for who He was, her life was changed forever.
It's time for our hearts to live in God's mountain-kingdom, gazing into His beautiful face!
Today, the Lord is challenging us to arise and come away with Him, to worship Him, to calm our hearts and to hear His voice afresh.
He wants to speak to us, for there are difficulties all around us on the right and on the left.
In this month here in the U.S., we had two horrific mass shootings, and there are horrific happenings going on around us all over the earth.
But we can't allow our hearts to be guided by and filled with fear.
Our focus must turn to the Lord, where our help comes from.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the God who brings us comfort, and He's the God of peace who crushes Satan under our feet!
We must determine to make Him our focus.
"All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us" (2 Cor. 1:3-4, TPT).
He has made us a people of the ascension.
And we have direct access into the realm of the Holy Spirit and to come before the Father for the need of the day.
It's time for us to ascend, not only for ourselves, but for others.
"I look up to mountains and hills, longing for God's help. But then I realize that our true help and protection come only from the Lord, our Creator who made the heavens and the earth. He will guard and guide me, never letting me stumble or fall" (Ps. 121:1-3a).
We weren't promised that the world would always be a happy place.
In fact, the Bible says in the end times (that's now),
"You will hear of wars nearby and revolutions on every side, with more rumors of wars to come.
Don't panic or give in to your fears, for the breaking apart of the world's systems is destined to happen" (Matthew 24:6a).
But in Christ we can continue to walk in His peace and comfort.
"And everything I've taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have on conquered the world!" (John 16:33).
It's right to mourn and to weep with those who weep, but we have to do more. We have to choose to let our thoughts and our lives flow upward.
The river of God flows upward to the mountain where the Lord sits enthroned. He is the lifter up of our heads (Ps. 3:3).
And we are called to take our seats next to Him as He sits enthroned, looking down upon the circle of the earth with a heavenly perspective and agenda for His people.
It's time to join Him in throne-room prayer to get His wisdom and to implement it.
The Scriptures say that tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer (James 5:16).
This will give us His heart and His solutions for our nation, the nations, our lives and others.
Our greatest privilege is to partner with heaven in bringing God's kingdom purposes to earth.
It was on the mountain that Jesus was transformed.
And it's on His mountain, the throne room of His presence, that we too are transformed.
When we're transformed, the tools of heaven are unlocked from within.
It's then that we're able to bring transformation to others as well.
It's time for the shining ones of Daniel 12:3a (ESV) to arise, for we must be "those who are wise and shine like the brightness of the sky above, those who turn many to righteousness..."
So come, let's go up! You were made for mountaintop living.
You were made for fellowship and oneness with Him.
The mountain of the Lord is calling your name!
It's Time to Take Mountains!
Not only did I hear the Lord say, "It's time to go up the mountain," but He also said, "It's time to take mountains."
I saw people planting their own personal flags on mountaintops.
These mountains are not the mountain of the Lord, but they can represent the fears that are holding you back from your God-given dreams and the hurdles that have kept you back from pursuing God's good and perfect will for your life.
Maybe your mountain is to start a new business, write a book, get a new job, start a ministry, or maybe its conquering mountains of debts, depression or conquering old habits.
The Lord said to Joshua, "Be strong and of good courage!"
This is a mountain-claiming day.
Like Caleb, it's time for us to throw off that old "grasshopper mentality" that might be lingering in us.
For in Christ, we have already moved into our promised land, and now it's time to drive out all the "ites."
It's time that we shut out the lies of the enemy telling us, "This far and no farther."
It's time to move up that mountain, for in Christ ,we have already been set free!
It's a new day, and we're moving up!
"Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth. Here He stands! The Commander! The mighty Lord of Angel Armies is on our side! The God of Jacob fights for us!" (Ps. 46:10-11, TPT).
"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it" (Num. 13:30, NIV).
So, whatever you face today, the Father is saying,
"You can surely do it!"
Caleb was 85 when Joshua released the mountain to him.
Then Caleb drove the enemy out of his land and the land rested.
Today I declare that you are rising up!
Any fear that remains in you is being driven out so that you can conquer and then rest until your next conquest.
I see you planting your flag on that mountain right now, for God is filling you with courage and confidence.
He's breaking you free of all fear, and you are being delivered from the day of a grasshopper mentality.
You will not always be thinking about who you are or aren't, but you will be thinking of who He is within you.
This is your day to rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit!
This is the day for the modern-day, mountain-taking Calebs to arise.
It's time to live the promises that God has given you, for those promises have never disappeared, they are just waiting for you to believe enough to go after them.
Get ready to go up that mountain, to move mountains (Mark 11:23) and to jump over mountains (Song 2:8)!
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Instead of cowering in fear it's time to keep our focus on our God.
We must look upward and rejoice in the victory that He has in store for us!
"[The Lord God Most High] marked out our inheritance ahead of time, putting us in front of the line" (Ps. 47:4a, TPT).
Whose report are you believing for your life today?
It had better be the Lord's.
It's time to take your mountains! God is with you!
Brian and Candice Simmons have been married for 43 years. With their three children, they spent nearly eight years in the tropical rainforest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator and consultant. Now, nearly everyone in the village follows the Lamb of God. After their missionary career, they came to New England, and were involved with starting Gateway Christian Fellowship, which they pastored for 18 years. After turning the church over to a wonderful leadership team, they began to travel full-time speaking, teaching and helping churches and leaders to grow in Christ. They've had the joy of traveling to over 30 nations, sharing the message of God's greatness and His end time glory that will be revealed through His people. Brian is also the lead translator for The Passion Translation Project which will result in a new, dynamic version of the Bible for this generation. Brian and Candice have three children, six grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
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